Aldgate

Aldgate is a ward of the City of London in London, England. Known to the Anglo-Saxons as Aest Geat ("east gate") by 1052, it was originally a gate of the London Wall; its name had become Alegate by 1108 and later morphed into Aldgate (meaning "old gate"). It spanned the road to Colcester during the Roman period, and it was rebuilt from 1108 to 1147 and again in 1215; it was completely rebuilt between 1607 and 1609. From 1181 to 1290, Aldgate was home to London's Jewish community; they were expelled under King Edward I of England, but they were welcomed back under Oliver Cromwell and established a synagogue at Bevis Marks in 1698. Geoffrey Chaucer also lived at Aldgate from 1374 to 1386. Aldgate twice served as a defensive fortification: during the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 and during Thomas Neville's attack on London in 1471 during the Wars of the Roses. The gate was finally removed in 1761. By the 21st century, the Aldgate neighborhood was dominated by the insurance industry.